The Last Yule Ball
by Ragna Katharina
Summary: Hermione's last Yuleball at Hogwarts. She has difficulties preparing...but suddenly unexpected help emerges!


Disclaimer : I do not earn anything by this story, nor do I possess anyone.   
The persons in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. I only snatched them for   
a moment to play with them.   
  
Well, this is originally a scene from a movie with Judy Garland and James Mason,   
but I could not help but transfigure it into a SS/HG scene with minor alterations.   
Hope you enjoy!  
  
Okay, they are a bit OOC...but I needed something funny and light-hearted right now.   
My dog died a few days ago. I cannot say I feel well. I miss her terribly.   
  
Many thanks to my proofreader Llarian.  
  
This story is dedicated to Anakin. She was the best dog. I miss her terribly.  
  
  
  
Now enjoy:  
  
  
The Last Yule Ball  
  
By Iejasu  
  
  
Hermione Granger was extremely nervous. Just for once she wanted to look beautiful,   
wanted others to notice her not as a know-it-all but as a young woman so she asked   
for advice. So the know-it-all asked for advice in matters of beauty and appearance.  
  
After sitting in hell for at least three hours under the special care of Parvati Patil   
and Lavender Brown, she felt even worse. Her hair had been turned into a veela-white   
blond, her skin a rare shade of olive with a tint of green due to her inner feelings,   
her dress was a disgusting shade of pink.  
  
"You nose is too big, we have to do something about it!"  
  
"Look at her chin, she has none!"  
  
"How can anybody have such hair? It looks like the rare end of a broom!"  
  
"Your skin is spotty and your eyes too big!"  
  
"Hermione, your mouth is too large and your ears are too big, we have to hide them!"  
  
After the three hours of hell were over, she stared at a mirror and did not recognise   
herself anymore. But maybe it was for the best, she thought shaken. No wonder nobody   
took any interest in her. She was ugly, plain ugly.  
  
Her self esteem was at a definite low.  
  
Parvati and Lavender had used every trick that was in the book of charms and some that   
were not. Potions and charms, even transfiguration was consulted to make her at least   
a bit pleasing to the eye.  
  
With hunched shoulders she walked though the corridor, trying to avoid everybody. She   
really did not feel like participating at the Yule Ball anymore.  
  
  
From the distance she saw Professor Snape approaching. Being Head Girl also included  
the duty of being polite to professors, even mean old bats like Professor Snape.  
  
"Good Evening, Sir", she muttered.  
  
Snape only waved a hand and passed her a quick glance, disappearing into the storeroom.   
Suddenly she heard a crash and Professor Snape stuck his head out of the slightly open   
door. She saw him staring at her and for a moment she believed that he   
was dumbstruck by her new beauty. Hermione saw him widening his eyes in disbelief and   
murmuring "Oh, no...no."   
  
He came out of the storeroom and circled her like a large black cat. "Granger, is that you?   
Is it?" Disbelieving, he lifted his hand as if to confirm by touch what his eyes told him.  
  
Taking a step back in defence, she tried to look self secure. "What's the matter with it?"   
  
The next thing she witnessed was a premiere. Snape succumbed to roaring laughter.   
  
Indignantly she took a step backwards and growled in a low voice, "What is the matter with   
you?" She got more annoyed by the second because his laughter became even louder.   
"I've been sitting in a chair for three blooming hours and ....."  
  
He could hold his breath only for a short moment to moan "That was definitely an hour too   
long, Miss Granger!"   
  
Snape, normally detesting anybody's touch, grabbed her arm and forced her to come   
with him. "Come on, Granger!" He was still laughing and Hermione was so shocked that she   
could hardly do anything but follow. While walking down to his dungeon, he questioned her   
further. "Who did that to you?"  
  
"Lavender and Parvati. They...they..." She could not finish her sentence because he dragged   
her into his private rooms. She had only seen them in her second year and only in almost   
complete darkness. Now she saw that is was actually very comfortable, large chairs by the  
fireplace and many shelves of books. Instinctively she glanced at the books trying to make   
out their titles, but Professor Snape finally got his composure back and ordered her to   
sit, shoving her into a chair in front of a mirror.   
  
He looked at her as if trying to figure out what was Hermione and what was "Spell".   
Clearing his voice and trying to become serious again, he hesitated for a moment.   
"First things first!" With that he removed the charm from her hair.  
  
Hermione shrieked a little, feeling suddenly naked but he ignored it.  
  
Snape knocked at her nose with a knuckle, as if testing a plaster wall. "Is that you?"  
  
Embarrassed Hermione was only able to shake her head in denial.  
  
And he raised his wand again "And off it comes!" Hermione could only groan. He was   
destroying all the careful work.  
  
"Don't...don't do that. My nose is ...very bad!" But instead of listening to her he handed   
her a vial.  
  
"Now, take every bit of that junk from your face." His tone was stern and reminded her of   
his classes.  
  
Tears filled her eyes. "No, I can't do that. My eyes are all wrong, my ears are too big...  
and... I have no chin!"  
  
Without flinching he nodded "I know! Now take all the stuff off your face and do your face   
like you always do and I do the rest!"  
  
Hesitantly she took the vial but it was obviously too slow for his taste. He snatched the   
bottle back and spread a huge amount of the content into his own hands "Come on! We haven't  
got all day. You have to be ready in little more than an hour!" And without another word   
he smeared the potion liberally on her face.  
  
"Professor Snape!" Hermione tried to struggle but to no avail.  
  
"I think in this critical moment you might be allowed to call me Severus." He did not   
stop a second while smearing the potion over her face to remove every other potion and   
residue.  
  
Struggling she moaned loudly, "Severus! Please! What difference does it mean if I look   
ugly at the ball ....with or without makeup. Nobody will notice me!" She tried to stop   
him wiping her face, holding him by the wrist.  
  
His hands covered in the potion he pointed a finger at her growling "Your face is just   
dandy!"  
  
The grin on his face and the impossibility of the whole situation made her suddenly laugh,   
taking the bottle from him and cleaning her face.  
  
Snape handed her a cloth and ordered her "Now wipe it off!"   
  
Still laughing she took the cloth from him and wiped her face.  
  
An hour later she could hardly believe her eyes. Snape just did the last touches on her,   
adding a little bit more colour. His black eyes looked at her in the reflection. Calmly he   
lowered the pad and took the scarf from her neck, taking in her appearance that looked at   
him from the mirror.  
  
Her frizzy hair was in nice brown curls, and she looked beautiful in a calm way, but still   
beautiful. It was as if her face radiated from within. But it was still her face, not   
some strange creation of Lavender and Parvati.  
  
Snape smiled at her in the mirror. "Now, my dear friends, now lets go into battle!"  
  
He had transfigured her dress into an elegant dark red creation, not this pink abomination.  
When she stood up from the chair, she felt different as Severus Snape guided her out of   
his chambers, for her to go to the Yule ball.  
  
As usual Snape was not present. He avoided balls at any costs.  
  
But for Hermione it was a success. She experienced her first kiss....but somehow she wished  
that someone else would have been the kisser....not Ron but the man she had met only an   
hour ago...the laughing man with glittering black eyes and a warm and affectionate laughter.  
The man that was not known in Hogwarts.   
  
END 


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